Local News

Wiggins water pipeline plan gets approval

ByDAN BARKER Times News Editor

Posted:
12/14/2012 04:13:04 PM MST

Good news was on the agenda as the Wiggins Board of Trustees heard that the town has a go to finish its new water pipeline.

The Wiggins water project to replace its failing water supply has been held up for months as the town waited for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to finish looking over its plan to put a pipe through a culvert in the town's flood levee.

Public Works Director Jon Richardson told the trustees during their regular monthly meeting that he received word that the pipeline was approved by the corps. The pipe will sit in a steel sleeve to keep any leakage from affecting the levee.

In addition, he said that the town's substitute water plan was approved by the Colorado State Water Engineer's Office. That will allow the town to start pumping water once its pipeline is done and the blending plan is complete.

Since the Weldon Valley Ditch Co. has senior water rights, the water supply is pretty safe despite the drought, Richardson said. In fact, Wiggins may have some carryover of water credits, since it did not use all of its water rights in 2012.

He said that the augmentation pond and water treatment plant contractors have been paid.

The next step is to build an infrastructure that allows the town to blend its current water with its new water source to make it go farther. Wiggins does not have enough water rights to fill its needs yet, although officials are negotiating for more.

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Trustees said that they plan to find grants or loans to help pay for the blending project, since that was not a part of the original plan, and they do not want to charge residents more money.

Budget

The board approved the 2013 budget it had put together in a retreat over the weekend without further changes.

This budget expects $375,248 in revenue for the general fund and $394,575 in expenses, which means the town will have to use $19,327 of its $292,510 of general fund reserves.

The capital improvement fund predicts $212,000 in revenues and $306,000 of spending due to a plan to repair the damaged town ball fields at an estimated cost of $300,000. However, officials plan to ask for a Great Outdoors Colorado grant, which could offset part or all of the ball field costs. The ball fields were damaged due to the extreme heat this summer and the lack of water to protect the sod.

The budget forecasts $1.86 million in revenue for the water fund and almost $1.86 million in spending. It also sets aside nearly $30,000 to buy new reverse-osmosis filters in future years. Since that set-aside is based on running the water plant all day, every day, the filter money fund may not need that much money.

The sewer fund should have $143,776 in revenue and $143,637 in expenses.

The total 2013 Wiggins property valuation available for taxation is at $5.5 million, which is about $83,000 less than this year. In fact, property values have dropped by about 10 percent in recent years, Trustee Karol Kopetzky said.

That contributes to the funding shortage, but is partly due to lower values because of water issues, she said. Once the water project is finished, values should go back up.

The Conservation Trust Fund account predicts $9,061 in revenues and $37,382 in spending, which means it would have to use part of the fund's $37,819 in reserves. Some of that money is also slated for the ball field restoration.

Kopetzky said she went to the recent GOCO workshop in Fort Morgan, and GOCO officials seemed receptive to the idea of a grant to help with the ball fields.

Wiggins could ask for a big project or go for a mini-grant of up to $45,000, which would require a $15,000 match, she said.

GOCO is coming back out in January to have a workshop on grant writing, which will give the town a better idea of what it wants to try for, Kopetzky said.

The deadline for the grants is in early March, and the money would not be issued until June, so the fields could not be fixed up in time for spring sports, she said, although that would be unlikely in any case.

Another piece of good news is that Wiggins could also ask for funding to buy new lights and a new scoreboard, Richardson said.

Town officials are planning on scraping off the weeds, thorns and top dirt of the fields to prepare for improvements, Kopetzky said. That would also even out the fields.

Two bids for the ball field sod came to $45,000 and $32,200, and the trustees discussed installing it themselves.

Richardson said it might be best to buy Texas bluegrass, because it is more drought resistant and is very similar to Kentucky bluegrass.

Spending from the general fund could also be lower than expected if a new town administrator and new town clerk do not start at the beginning of 2013, said Mayor Margarito "Mac" Leon Jr.

While the board looked hard at the possibility of raises for town employees, it simply cannot afford that, he said. Instead, the board will continue to pay the same amount for health insurance benefits rather than asking the employees to share some of that cost.

Water and sewer rates will remain the same, Leon said.

Trustees also looked at the cost of a new patrol car and sidewalk snow removal equipment, but decided it could not afford that and the ball field project, which is dear to many residents.

Wiggins Police Chief Leroy Dilka wondered if the town really needed an administrator, since that would cost $50,000.

Wiggins needs someone to get the town headed in the right direction, and one of the job requirements would be to bring in more revenue, partly by finding grant money, said Trustee Dan Neal, and the other trustees agreed.

Leon noted the town needs the right person in that position. The administrator needs to be someone with people skills and easily approachable.

Dilka asked his question partly because he needs a new patrol vehicle, and would have to wait until 2014 if this budget was passed.

Neal wondered why the officers could not share a vehicle.

Dilka said he is on call 24 hours a day, even while not on duty, and would need a police vehicle if he had to respond to an emergency. That happens about 15 to 20 times a year.

Wiggins Town Attorney Melinda Culley said it would not be good for an officer to use his own personal vehicle when responding to an emergency.

Water rights

Trustees also considered an attorney's request for disconnection from the town utilities from Ray Thomas and Darrel Adolf.

Thomas had annexed into the town when he was planning a development, but that has never happened and he has said he would like to use the water in another way, perhaps by selling it to oil explorers.

Culley said that before the town grants such a request it might want to look at putting limitations on how soon he could use the water. Thomas' wells are in the same groundwater basin as the town's wells, and any use could affect those wells, which are already low.

She suggested contacting the town's water attorneys.

Culley noted Thomas would have to go back to water court before using the water, because it was converted to municipal use.

Dilka suggested having someone talk to Thomas about what he wants or needs.

Neal said it might be worthwhile to keep the water for future development, adding this is the kind of issue a town administrator could work on.

Delinquents

The trustees decided to require people who are delinquent on their water bills to pay half of what they owe or have their water shut off.

More people have been delinquent lately, Richardson said, and they just keep falling behind.

Of about 30 delinquent accounts, the highest debt is more than $700, he said.

"We need to get a handle on it," Richardson said.

People had been coming in to make small payments on accounts, but they usually do not pay enough to even stay even, he said.

In the past, when people faced losing water they came up with the money quickly, Dilka said.

Other matters

The board also:

Approved a resolution appropriating the budget funds.

Approved a resolution setting the mill levy at 32.212, the same as last year.

Approved a resolution certifying compliance with the Taxpayers Bill of Rights.

Approved a request by the Morgan County government to start using direct deposit for its tax money, instead of checks.

Heard that stop signs and speed limit signs along Fifth Street are up now. These are meant to slow drivers down.

Heard that the town received seven applications for the town clerk position, and others have come in for applications. The board decided to put some board members and staff on a committee to interview candidates next week.

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